Korean Movie 'The Unforgiven' Wins Applause at Cannes
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By Paolo Bertolin
Contributing Writer
CANNES, France - The first of the two Korean films invited to the 49th Cannes Film Festival, Yoon Jong-bin's "The Unforgiven" (Yongsobadji Mothan Ja) was officially screened last Saturday night, and met with positive response from international reviewers.
According to"Variety" critic Derek Elley, Yoon's film "has a slow-burning atmosphere that, with a grungier look compared with most South Korean cinema, should prove attractive to Western fests".
French newspaper Liberation lauded instead the "detailed and insisting analysis of the mechanics of submission". The debut feature of director Yoon screens in Cannes as part of the cadet competition "Un Certain Regard", and at the moment of writing is regarded as one of the frontrunners for the section's prizes.
Born in Pusan in 1979, Yoon is among the youngest competitors in "Un Certain Regard", second only to Murali K. Thalluri, born in 1984, an Australian of Indian descent, whose "Two Thirty 7" will be presented later this week. Furthermore, "The Unforgiven" is the only Asian film competing for the Camera d'Or (Golden Camera), the prize awarded to the best debut feature invited to the festival.
The success story of "The Unforgiven", however, began quite a long time ago.
It in fact dates back to last October, when the film had its world premiere at the 10th Pusan International Film Festival, where it swept four main awards, and was hailed as the festival's revelation. After such an auspicious first appearance, the international premiere of Yoon's film was delayed for more than seven months, as Cannes officials secured the film for the 2006 edition. The wait was indeed worth it as "The Unforgiven" has been sparking wide interest at the most prestigious showcase for international cinema.
'The Unforgiven" grabbed attention as it reportedly is the first feature film to depict in realistic yet non-sensational manner the psychological and physical violence of the 26-month long compulsory military service in Korea.
To obtain permission to shoot in real barracks, Yoon submitted to military authorities a fake screenplay, but later on officially apologized for this necessary "trick".
The screenplay, written by Yoon himself for his graduation project from Choong-ang University, revolves around two characters, Tae-jung and Seung-young, former high school mates, who meet again during their service. Developed in parallel on two different time frames, the plot follows Tae-jung and Seung-young in their lives in the barracks, as well as in the civilian environment, when Seung-young, who's out on a permit, visits Tae-jung, who has already been discharged, creating a pattern of double mystery in both storylines.
The success of Yoon's film in Cannes was confirmed by the announcement of an additional screening, scheduled on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the official competition proved quite sluggish, and was generally judged inferior to the usual level of recent years. Palme d'Or material was spotted only in the latest films from two renowned masters, Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" and Aki Kaurismaki's "Lights in the Dusk", and in Turkish author Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Climates".
Contributing Writer
CANNES, France - The first of the two Korean films invited to the 49th Cannes Film Festival, Yoon Jong-bin's "The Unforgiven" (Yongsobadji Mothan Ja) was officially screened last Saturday night, and met with positive response from international reviewers.
According to"Variety" critic Derek Elley, Yoon's film "has a slow-burning atmosphere that, with a grungier look compared with most South Korean cinema, should prove attractive to Western fests".
French newspaper Liberation lauded instead the "detailed and insisting analysis of the mechanics of submission". The debut feature of director Yoon screens in Cannes as part of the cadet competition "Un Certain Regard", and at the moment of writing is regarded as one of the frontrunners for the section's prizes.
Born in Pusan in 1979, Yoon is among the youngest competitors in "Un Certain Regard", second only to Murali K. Thalluri, born in 1984, an Australian of Indian descent, whose "Two Thirty 7" will be presented later this week. Furthermore, "The Unforgiven" is the only Asian film competing for the Camera d'Or (Golden Camera), the prize awarded to the best debut feature invited to the festival.
The success story of "The Unforgiven", however, began quite a long time ago.
It in fact dates back to last October, when the film had its world premiere at the 10th Pusan International Film Festival, where it swept four main awards, and was hailed as the festival's revelation. After such an auspicious first appearance, the international premiere of Yoon's film was delayed for more than seven months, as Cannes officials secured the film for the 2006 edition. The wait was indeed worth it as "The Unforgiven" has been sparking wide interest at the most prestigious showcase for international cinema.
'The Unforgiven" grabbed attention as it reportedly is the first feature film to depict in realistic yet non-sensational manner the psychological and physical violence of the 26-month long compulsory military service in Korea.
To obtain permission to shoot in real barracks, Yoon submitted to military authorities a fake screenplay, but later on officially apologized for this necessary "trick".
The screenplay, written by Yoon himself for his graduation project from Choong-ang University, revolves around two characters, Tae-jung and Seung-young, former high school mates, who meet again during their service. Developed in parallel on two different time frames, the plot follows Tae-jung and Seung-young in their lives in the barracks, as well as in the civilian environment, when Seung-young, who's out on a permit, visits Tae-jung, who has already been discharged, creating a pattern of double mystery in both storylines.
The success of Yoon's film in Cannes was confirmed by the announcement of an additional screening, scheduled on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the official competition proved quite sluggish, and was generally judged inferior to the usual level of recent years. Palme d'Or material was spotted only in the latest films from two renowned masters, Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" and Aki Kaurismaki's "Lights in the Dusk", and in Turkish author Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Climates".
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